hello-new to site and diesels-i have a 1999 chev suburban with 454 and recently bought a 32 ft toy hauler and am pulling the 13500lb trailer with the chevy-obviously i need a diesel because i cant speed even if i wanted to(35mph up hills and 50mph on strightaways-60mph downhill with wind behind me!)-i have about $25000 to spend and have been shopping around-i live in so cal and need a diesel asap because the chevy is trying so hard but cant ask much more of her. this site seems very helpful-most everyone (outside of this site) agree that dodge has best diesel-chevy best tranny-ford best resale and room-we got to Glamis twice a month (180 mile each way) and this truck would be my to and from work car as well-what do the experts recommend? ie2500,3500 dodge chev fordwhat size and year diesel etc. thank you all for looking-dave

 

I would say get a 2500 longbed. 3500 might be tough as a daily driver, but of course that's open to personal likes and dislikes. I would also recommend a Dodge/Cummins, but I'm sure you would expect that coming to a Dodge site.

 

thanks mike D-is there a difference in insurance from a 2500 to 3500? ie a 3500 being a commercial vehicle.-some one just offered me a 2002 f250 powerstroke-xlt with 4' suspension lift with ranchos with 118000 miles for $22900. is this a huge problem waiting to happen or are older powerstokes better than new?

 

I've heard something about powder coated metal connecting rods in some of those models, but not sure how that translates. If I were to own a F*rd, it would be a 7.3 liter.

I'm not a big hauler, but I would check with some people who do haul big and seek their advice with regards to the 4" lift.

I have no advice on the insurance issue, my 2500 is about $800 a year full coverage.

 

also offered a 2002 dodge 2500 cummins turbo 4x4 slt lariat with 39000 miles with 8' bed but it is a regular cab-i need room for 2 car seats in back-is there room in this one and is $18500 a good deal?

 

It seems that every truck,eng,trans, has its stong and weak parts , I bought the Cummins .
I would suggest that you spend less for the truck [ older ] then spend some of the saved $$$ on mods for the weak points , trans , brakes ect .
Then after the weak points are covered you can bring the HPs up to what suits the eng.
Being in Cal. finding older without rust is the easy part.
With that advice you'll have twice the fun [ have truck & then the mods ]

 

Reg. cab would not allow for car seats. You would want a quad cab. Have you checked this site's classified ads?

 

I would skip the Power Stroke and look for a CTD but like Mike said, do you really expect to hear anything else here? For towing, the 4" lift might be negledgable but it certainly isn't going to help anything and does create a less balanced vehicle when the CG is altered like that. Also, bigger tires will rob power and mileage. Personally, I have no interest in using a lifted truck as a hauler and /or daily driver as the lift will only detract from the trucks intended purpose.

As for insurance, the only way to be certain if there is a difference between a 2500 and a 3500 at your company is to call them. For some unexplainable reason, my insurance is $100 LESS on my 98.5 3500 than it is on my 94 2500....and my broker can't explain it and I don't argue!

 

I would go onto autotrader.com and do a search. You should have no problem finding the right Dodge . Seriously though, IMO thats way to much money for a PSD with that many miles. Are you planning on buying dealer or private. I know of a dealer up North in Grass Valley " Liberty Dodge" that always has a huge selection of used CTD's in stock. Good quality too. I bought my last truck there. Look in the autotrader though

 

I paid 26000 dollars for my brand new2005 long bed ctd 4x4 four door 3500---that's about 10000$ cheaper than ford. I have it insured as a utility vehicle, which costs me 620$ per year. BTW truck was purchased in August with the employee pricing discounts.